


You and I Both

by WaxRhapsodic



Series: Team Stark [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Awesome Pepper Potts, BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Tony Stark, Canonical Character Death, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt Tony Stark, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, Love, Not Canon Compliant, Not Natasha Friendly, Not Nick Fury Friendly, Not Steve Friendly, POV Pepper Potts, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark Friendship, Pepper Potts Feels, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Pepper Potts Needs a Hug, Pepperony Week, Protective Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Tony Stark, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Team Dynamics, Team Not As Family, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, not SHIELD friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:28:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23668387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaxRhapsodic/pseuds/WaxRhapsodic
Summary: Pepper understands Post Avengers
Relationships: Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: Team Stark [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881490
Comments: 54
Kudos: 413





	You and I Both

Pepper had some thinking to do.

Today had been a real eye opener for her.

Aliens pouring from a hole in the sky.

Their home being invaded by a ?Government? Agent who was now dead. Who she now knew had never been her friend.

Tony was sleeping, recovering from his horrible ordeal. The horrible bruises from Hulk catching him… the missing window in the penthouse…how close he’d come to death so many times in just a few hours…

What had happened? She needed more information and she knew just where to get it.

Hours later and JARVIS had shown her everything. Including some encounters with Phil that she had been previously unaware of.

That had been a revelation. And enraging one. Phil was lucky he was already dead. Then she felt awful for thinking that.

But the Avengers. That Romanov stabbing Tony, Fury holding the cure to his poisoning over his head when they _knew_ he was dying. Captain America-Howards golden boy returned from his watery grave only to tower over Tony and talk down to him _exactly_ like Howard used to.

No.

She had been happy, relieved in a way to see Phil, to see that they weren’t calling Tony in to handle this Loki character all on his own.

She wanted him to have real backup on the field but a blind man could see the Avengers wouldn’t _couldn’t_ be that. But sometimes Tony was worse than blind. That’s where she came in, to cover his blind spots and always have his back.

Pepper had never imagined an end of the world event like this. One where Rhodes- _where the damn military Tony supplied with armor wasn’t called in because SHIELD was trying to keep their illegal alien experimentation under wraps._

She wondered what else they were hiding and set Jay on it using her authority as CEO of Stark Industries. Anything at all to do with Howard Stark and the founding of SHIELD was soon going to be an open book for them.

Pepper wouldn’t let anyone get away with treating Tony like dirt, like he was disposable, like he owed them something when it was the other way around.

Meanwhile she knew Tony would go along with their shady bullshit just so he could finally have a team. Have that much needed backup in the field. She knew the feeling of needing some permanence, someone real to lean on in times of need, the hollow ache of loneliness. She knew Tony had it even worse than her.

They’d been dating for a little over a year now and had been hinting at making things more permanent. And yeah, after this she knew that was the right move, at least from her perspective.

This right here had been her turning point, the unspeakable heartbreak she felt realizing she’d missed his last call. That she had been his last thought flying into the void of space.

He was it for her. She’d never felt this way about anyone before and knew she never would again. That in mind, she had work to do.

“JARVIS?”

“Yes Ms. Potts?”

“Let me run something by you?”

“Of course ma’am.”

~~

Tony woke slowly; he had actually been worn out enough to sleep deeply and for nearly fifteen hours according to JARVIS.

He lay back listening to the world updates from his baby boy.

Pepper walked into the room dressed comfortably for a day at home carrying a breakfast tray with food for two.

“Good morning Mr. Stark,” she smiled at him warmly, so beautiful she took his breath away.

”Good morning Ms. Potts,” he cleared his throat as his voice broke over the words and held his arms out and wiggled his fingers. As usual she could read his mind and set the tray on his side table and crawled into his embrace to snuggle against him.

“Pepp,” he murmured, taking the time to just breathe her in and hold her in his arms so perfect so real. He’d thought he’d never have this again.

“Tony,” she murmured after a long while when he’d actually considered falling back asleep. His ribs were killing him and the arc reactor was pulling at his sternum because of the swelling.

He tensed at her worried tone. She hated when he put himself in harm’s way. Was this it? Had yesterday been the last straw for her?

He pulled away and put some space between them just in case. He didn’t want her to feel trapped.

“Yes, Pepp?” he asked lightly, not looking at her as he put the tray on the bed between them. “Eat up, you must be hungry.” His own throat was swelling with emotion as he quickly took a bite of eggs and washed it down with a sip of orange juice. It turned his stomach.

“Tony,” she grasped his wrist in her slim, cool hand and held on until he looked into her beautiful blue eyes that were filling with tears.

Oh shit. “Pepper, don’t cry. I-”

But she shook her head cutting him off with a squeeze to his wrist. “Tony I,” she swallowed thickly. “I’m so sorry I missed your call. Watching you fly into that hole in the sky and thinking I’d never see you again was the worst moment of my life.”

Her tears spilled over and rolled down her now flushed cheeks. He felt his heart break at the sight. Of course she wouldn’t want to live like this. Who would? At least he’d had this, real love and affection while it lasted.

He let her push the tray aside and press in close to him. He held her tight and ran his fingers through her hair just the way she liked when she was upset. He tried to memorize the feeling of her in his arms, their hearts beating in time. The warmth of her against him. The smell of her shampoo and her favorite body wash.

“Pepper, Pepp, It’s okay. I’m okay. See? Hey I’m alright,” he murmured as her tears finally began to calm down.

“Oh Tony it’s not alright,” she said sharply, forehead still pressed to his shoulder. “JARVIS showed me everything! Why didn’t you tell me, Tony. Why don’t you ever tell me?” she concluded softly, brokenly.

“Tell you? Tell you what? What are you talking about sweetheart?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“Sir, if I may?” JARVIS cut in smoothly.

“Jay-“

“Yes, JARVIS, please. I’ve made a mess of this,” Pepper sat back with a sniff, face red, eyes puffy and bloodshot, eyelashes spiked with tears. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

And she was holding his hand tightly, like she never wanted to let go. He squeezed back tentatively. Hoping against all odds that he’d been wrong. That she still loved him- that he was worth the risk.

“Sir, Miss Potts and I created a working model plan while you were recuperating yesterday evening. I showed her your meetings with the Avengers and with various SHIELD Agents and with some careful consideration, Ms. Potts came up with a plan that I rather approve of.”

“Working model? Of what? You’re the CEO Pepp, you don’t need my permission for anything.” He teased her lightly.

She sat back with a small frown. “This isn’t about SI. This is about you, It’s about Iron Man.” He tensed at her words. How could be make her understand?

“I can’t give it up Pepp, you saw what happened yesterday-”

“Yes, I saw. I understand now in a way I didn’t before. Iron Man is needed and you’re Iron Man. I get it, I do,” she leaned in and clutched his hands tightly in hers. “But you can’t do it alone. No, hush, you need backup.”

“I couldn’t agree more! And that’s what the avengers will be!”

But Pepper pursed her lips and shook her head resolutely. “No, Tony, that’s where _we_ come in.”

~~

“You want me to allow Jay to access the suits and utilize them as needed? Jay?” he turned the question to his smartest child.

“Yes, sir.”

“How many suits can he command at once?” Pepper argued when he opened his mouth to question them. He was taken aback for a moment.

“I don’t know? At least ten while still managing his other duties and that’s a very conservative estimate.” He had to admit.

“Incredibly conservative, Sir,” JARVIS said haughtily.

Pepper nodded her agreement and continued doggedly. “And War Machine is on loan to the military from SI. He should be available whenever we need him barring an ongoing mission. Rhodes didn’t know he was needed until long after it was all over. He’s not too pleased about it.”

“I’ll bet he isn’t.” Tony said faintly. He was going to get an earful from his brother no doubt about it. His mind was already running away with their idea.

An army of Iron Man suits. And based on what he saw they might even need some tanks. Not nuclear- no point in a Pyrrhic victory but some concussive weapons? Would he be alright with making weapons again under certain circumstances? Maybe weapons that only worked to harm alien invaders?

He’d need to study the alien corpses and weapons as soon as possible. Maybe Jay could work with NASA to chart the stars he’d seen-figure out how far away that fleet was? How much time they had to prepare for the inevitable invasion.

They had something the enemy wanted. But was it just the tesseract? Would they still show up if they sent it off world?

Would Thor know? If he did would he tell them? Would Loki? Would he be willing to talk? And _not_ under torture- which Tony knew better than he’d ever wanted to, _didn’t work_.

No, under normal conversation. Maybe with a lawyer present? Pepper would know. She was the carrot _and_ the stick he thought fondly.

An army of Iron Men couldn’t hurt. But Jay was _his_ co-pilot. Maybe an AI brother or sister to work with him and manage the fleet? The Iron Fleet? He’d have to work on the name but it was a solid premise

“And, if you need more backup and don’t want to have to worry about me as much, give me access to the suits,” she said lightly, almost as an afterthought though it was clearly anything but.

It took him a moment to process what she’d said. And when he did it still didn’t make much sense. “Pepp!”

“Tony,” she said playfully.

_“Pepper.”_

_“Tony.”_

He opened and closed his mouth without making a sound. He fell quiet for a few moments, clearly turning the idea over in his mind.

Then shook his head with a bright eyed smirk. “I can’t just _give_ you access to the suits! You’re not an engineer! Even War machine is specified to Rhodey. Iron Man’s interface is based on my mind and how I see the world!”

Pepper… hadn’t considered that and sank back, disappointed until he continued. “No Pepp. If you’re serious about this you’re getting your own custom build.”

She laughed, not sure why she’d expected any other reaction. “Alright,” she agreed easily.

He gaped at her, “Really?”

“Yes, really. Impress me Mr. Stark.”

“Oh you’ll be impressed,” he growled and playfully pushed her down onto the bed and ranged over her.

“So we’re a team?” she asked softly, fingers resting gently over the arc reactor.

“In all things,” he agreed softly, heart skipping a beat at the way her eyes softened at his words. Maybe that question he’d been wanting to ask would be better received than he’d thought.

**Author's Note:**

> So I had this idea of how Pepperony would have panned out if not for the Avengers movies thrown in. If they were just stand lone films without the others mucking up the timetine and characterizations. So i kept the other films and characters but tried to focus on Tony and Pepper instead of making her an afterthought just because shes not an Avenger. I might make this a short series if my muse continues with it! Am I missing any tags? Please let me know what you think! Comments are love!


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